Psychoanalytic perspective on V. Nabokov's novel "Lolita"

Authors

  • Yaroslava V. Ostapenko

Keywords:

psychoanalysis, perversion, Oedipal issues, narcissism, projective identification, transference, libido, symbiosis, sexualization, fetishism, pedophilia, idealization

Abstract

Victor Nabokov's novel "Lolita" (1955) provides rich material for psychoanalytic exploration, describing a complex clinical case of the relationship between 37-year-old Humbert and 12-year- old Dolores, intertwined with themes of trauma, perversion, manipulation, and mutual projection. The focus of this study is on analyzing the psychoanalytic profiles of the main characters to identify the features of their interactions, as well as the role of Oedipal and pre-Oedipal conflicts in the formation of their personality structures and destructive behavioral patterns

Author Biography

  • Yaroslava V. Ostapenko

    Ostapenko Yaroslava V., social psychologist and psychoanalytically oriented psycho- therapist

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Published

2026-09-04

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Journal of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis: Psychoanalysis of literature

Section

Collection of articles

How to Cite

Psychoanalytic perspective on V. Nabokov’s novel "Lolita". (2026). Journal of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis, 2, 84-94. https://psychoanalysis-journal.hse.ru/article/view/42487